Jose Mourinho says Chelsea played a fantastic game against Manchester UnitedGetty

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho expressed his unhappiness after referee Phil Dowd sent off Blues defender Branislav Ivanovic against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Didier Drogba's header from the corner gave the west London club the much needed lead in the second half. However, Dowd showed Ivanovic a second yellow card for his tackle on Angel Di Maria in the stoppage time.

It was from the free-kick Robin van Persie scored an equaliser as the tie ended in a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford. The former Real Madrid manager believes Chelsea should have been awarded a penalty after United defender Chris Smalling bought Ivanovic down in the first half.

"The red card, I was seeing it coming. If I have to speak about the second yellow I have to speak about lots of things," Mourinho told Sky Sports.

"The penalty that Ivanovic should have been given [after wrestling with Smalling], the accumulation of yellow cards, the throw-ins. I know I speak always with my heart and get in trouble."

Ivanovic will miss Chelsea's Capital One Cup fixture against Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday evening.

Despite the draw, Chelsea are still unbeaten in the league this season and still sit on top of the table with 23 points from nine matches. Mourinho was full of praise for his players for their display against United.

"My team played a fantastic game, it's not easy to play here against Manchester United, a Manchester United that tried to play very compact and hit us on the counter attack," the Chelsea manager said.

"We were fantastic, especially in the second half. It was a top-class performance, good control, we could score a couple more goals."

"The result is not the one we wanted, we came to win but the performance is fantastic. The result, not so, but acceptable," Mourinho concluded.